Control
by Leena Valtapaz
Summary: When Makuta accidentally discovers his mask power, he decides to experiment with it. Later, he falls into more trouble than what he bargained for. Takes place in G2, before Makuta's betrayal. Rated T for dark themes, psychological/mental issues and some violence.
1. Prologue - Chapter 1

**Prologue**

 _"_ _Stay away!"_

 _The mask maker stepped back, holding his hammer threateningly as the living skeleton lurched towards him._

 _"_ _I'm… I'm warning you!"_

 _As he spoke, he could tell his voice shook._

 _"_ _I have… I have a hammer, and, and I know how to use it!"_

 _He knew for a fact the monster—whatever it was—could sense his fear._

 _"_ _I'm—not afraid of you!"_

 _It knew he was afraid._

 _Before the mask maker could react, another huge skeletal figure shot out of the sand, twitching its tail and hissing. With a thud, his_ _hammer fell to the ground. His hands quivered. His eyes widened in growing terror. "G-go away!" he cried as the two beings began to move toward_ _him, closer, and closer._

 _In a final attempt to save himself, the mask maker cried out one word at the top of his lungs, hoping against all hope someone—anyone—would hear and send him away from his grave…_

"HELP!"

Ekimu woke up with a start. _What was that sound?_ he wondered. Getting out of bed, he looked around the forge to see what could have made such a noise. _Wait, no, not just a noise,_ Ekimu realized. _That sounded like… my brother?!_

Ekimu ran over to Makuta's room, where he found his brother huddled in the corner of his bed, eyes wide. "Makuta, are you alright?" he whispered, sitting down. Makuta didn't answer but continued staring into space. _Stupid question,_ Ekimu thought.

Closing his eyes, he held his brother tight. "There, there, your brother's here now," Ekimu soothed. "It'll be alright. It's going to be alright…"

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"So you don't remember _anything_ at _all_?" asked Ekimu, banging his hammer on another piece of metal.

"Nothing," Makuta answered. He lifted an energy crystal to the light to confirm its purity. Nodding in satisfaction, he tossed the gemstone into a pile of others he had checked. "But if what you said about last night is true," he continued as he picked up another, "I don't think I _want_ to remember."

"You've got a point, there." Ekimu examined the metal closely with his tongs. "Alright, I think this mask is ready. Jungle crystals?"

"Of course," Makuta said quickly, glad to change the subject. He grabbed a small handful of green crystals and put them into the hand of Ekimu, who nodded with a quick "thanks" and placed the crystals onto the future mask in a specific pattern. Closing his eyes, Ekimu then began to concentrate. As his mask began to glow, so did the metal. And the metal didn't only glow—it almost danced as it began to take form.

Though Makuta had to shield his eyes from the light, he wasn't annoyed about it. In fact, he was proud his brother was perfect at masks. _D_ _oes_ _n't_ _have to_ _put any work into it_ _either,_ Makuta thought, sitting down. _He just makes his mask glow, and_ _out comes a_ _perfect mask!_ _Man, would I_ _love_ _a power like that._ _Say,_ _if_ _… if he has a mask power, w_ _hy don't_ _I_ _have_ _one_ _?_ _I mean, b_ _oth our masks are—_

"This will do," Ekimu said, breaking Makuta's train of thought. Ekimu then dunked the new mask into a vat of water, sending steam fizzling out of it. After waiting a few moments, he pulled out the steaming mask and set it down. "Perfect," he smiled. Stretching his arms out, Ekimu sat next to Makuta. "Anyway," he said at length, "I'd say we've worked enough this morning. How about we take a lunch break?" He paused. "Makuta?" he asked, his voice a little more sharp.

It took a second for Makuta to realize his brother was talking to him. "What? Oh, sure."

Ekimu nodded, then got up and began to put away his tools. "You go ahead and get something to eat. I'll clean up for you."

"Thanks," Makuta replied, and quickly walked out of the forge. But his mind wasn't focused on lunch.

 _Perhaps I_ do _have a mask power,_ he thought as he walked, _but I don't know how to use it. But if that's so, then what_ _'_ _s my power?_ _Having_ _the same power as Ekimu, I suppose, would make sense, but… what if there's more to it than that?_

Makuta then realized he was about to walk into a wall.

The mask-maker frowned. "Out of the way, wall," he muttered. But his annoyance became shock when his mask began to glow with some form of internal illumination. The wall, too, began to glow, and it simply moved aside, as if waiting for Makuta to ask. Finally, the glow faded.

Makuta's mouth gaped open. "Did… did I do that?!" he gasped. He felt his mask and stared, first at his hands, then at the wall. "I… I did that," he realized. "I actually did that!"

From the forge, Ekimu heard Makuta crying out again. "What?" he wondered. He ran to the forge door and looked over the city to find a figure, his brother, whooping and jumping with joy, punching the air and… hugging a wall?

Confused, Ekimu hurried down the steps to meet Makuta, who, catching sight of Ekimu, ran to him and hugged him closely. This caught Ekimu off-guard, to say the least.

"I HAVE POWER!" Makuta cried in ecstasy. "MY MASK! IT FINALLY WORKS!"

"You, er— what?" Ekimu said, startled.

Makuta let go of his brother, still excited. "My mask… You know, the mask power you have? Well, guess what… I have it, too!"

Ekimu's eyes widened with realization. "That's… Wow, I don't know what to say, Makuta! Except, perhaps, one thing… is that why you'd hugged a wall?"

Makuta glanced at the wall, then laughed a little. "Yes, I used my mask on it! It's amazing, isn't it?"

Ekimu nodded. "Yes, I suppose… But that wall's been there for years."

"Oh, no, I don't have the mask of Creation like you," Makuta said, holding up a hand in dismissal. "It's even better than that. I have a mask of…" He paused, thinking of a word. "…a mask of controlling, I think."

"The Mask of Control," Ekimu said, nodding again. "Yes, you do have this mask, given the way you are."

A few villagers behind Makuta snickered. "What's _that_ supposed to mean, Ekimu?" Makuta asked in a dangerously soft voice.

"Oh no, I didn't mean anything offensive!" Ekimu said quickly. "I just thought you'd, you'd have some fun with that mask power, you know? Wait, no, what I mean is…" He sighed. "Never mind. We'll talk about this later."

Makuta's eyes narrowed. "Of course. I understand completely."

Ekimu smiled faintly. "It's nothing. Well, meet me at Junak's."

"Of course I will," Makuta said coolly. As Ekimu left, Makuta turned away. _Why_ _was he so unhappy with me?_ he wondered. _Was he … mocking me? It_ _'s almost as if he doesn't like my power_ _. He's…_ _he must be jealous of this power. Why, he must want it for himself!…_ _He even said himself… "_ _It_ _'s nothin_ _g," to try to make me disregard it..._

"Master Makuta, are you feeling okay?" asked a young villager, making Makuta's train of thought into a train-wreck.

He scowled. "Leave me alone," he growled. "I'm trying to think."

"Geez," muttered an older Okotan. "For someone with the mask of Control, he sure doesn't have much self-control!"

Makuta clenched his fists. The two villagers stepped back cautiously as his mask began to glow. "I said… leave me… ALONE!"

Both Okotans' joints suddenly locked into place and began to move against their will. Makuta continued concentrating until he had forced them to walk far enough away they would no longer annoy him. He sighed, lacing his fingers behind his head with a smile. Perhaps he shouldn't have done that to them. But when he used his mask, they didn't matter.

Nobody mattered anymore.

 _H_ _is eyes opened on the glare of an endless_ _desert_ _plain_ _._ _Upon standing up,_ _Makuta_ _noticed the immense heat_ _beating_ _down on him, feeling like a thousand suns all concentrating their rays on him._ _Figuring he wouldn't get anywhere playing in the sand, he began to walk._

 _After_ _several minutes of_ _walking,_ _with no real understanding of where he was or why, he almost tripped over the bleached carcass of a huge rahi, mostly buried in the sand. Then he saw another. As he proceeded, he continued to see more and more skeletons of long-dead rahi,_ _al_ _l bleached white and stripped of any fur down to their gleaming bones._ _Makuta noted the skeletons varied in size: some looked like small desert wolves,_ _while others_ _grew_ _almost as tall as him._ _The_ _ribcage_ _of one skeleton_ _towered over him,_ _bones digging_ _into the sand like a giant claw._ _Another was so small it_ _amazed him_ _sand hadn't covered it_ _. Makuta could pick it up with his hand if he wanted to._ _But then again, maybe_ _it_ _wouldn't be such a good idea_ _._

 _His eyes no longer heeding the path_ _, he tripped on a skull and fell into sand_ _that opened like a famished mouth to swallow him_ _,_ _drawing him_ _down, down, down…_

 _"Agh!" grunted Makuta as he landed. He looked_ _around_ _and found himself in some sort of cave._ _Text_ _in_ _his own language_ _covered every wall_ _; but it_ _must have been_ _ancient_ _, since he could not read it. Makuta closed his eyes and tried to focus. What was going on here?_ _Where was he?_ _It was almost impossible to think._

 _A rattling sound caught Makuta's attention. Tensing, he whipped_ _around._ _Perhaps_ _he was_ _simply_ _overreacting, and it was_ _just a small_ _snake_ _._

 _It wasn't just a small snake._

 _Makuta ran to a corner of the room, where he found his hammer._ _Without_ _thinking about how it got there, he quickly grabbed it and held it threateningly to_ _wards_ _the skeletal monster. "_ _Stand down!_ _"_ _he yelled at it, no fear in his voice_ _this time_ _. "_ _Just because I can create doesn't mean I can't destroy_ _!"_

 _With those words, he charged at the skeleton, roaring in defiance as he crashed his hammer onto the being. As soon as his hammer hit the skull creature, it dissolved into shadows. Makuta smiled, his eyes narrowing. "That's what you get for picking on a mask maker," he chuckled._

 _But his feeling of triumph was short-lived, turning into dread as the room grew darker. It was almost as if some invisible monster swallowed the light itself, with an insatiable desire to feed on anything good and true._

 _Makuta jumped, as a booming voice suddenly echoed across the room: Oh, what's wrong? It asked teasingly. The voice sounded like nothing Makuta had ever heard before. It was chilling and scratchy, like lizards sliding down a metal tube. Scared of the dark? A cold, mirthless laugh filled the room, making his throat tighten like a fist. Still chuckling, it then said, You're more pathetic than I thought._

 _Makuta got his nerve back at that sentence. He tried to say he wasn't scared, and the voice—along with whoever it belonged to—couldn't hurt him. But the words_ _couldn't escape his mouth_ _;_ _only a whisper_ _came out._ _He couldn't even move._ _That's when_ _Makuta realized: only a dream could do that._

 _The voice laughed again._ _Ah, so_ _**n**_ _ **ow**_ _yo_ _u've figured it out._ _Yes, this is a dream._ _But I'll be here next time, and the time after that, and so on…_

 _Makuta gritted his teeth. "So? That doesn't matter! You're just in my head!"_

 _Of course I'm in your head._ _This is a dream._ _T_ _he_ _voice spoke as if to a five-year-old_ _._ _But that_ _never meant_ _I'm n_ _ot_ _real._

 _A new voice suddenly called out_ _from the darkness_ _._ "Makuta?"

 _I have to leave. But you won't forget me,_ _the voice said._

 _I won't let you_ _._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Makuta! Come on, wake up!"

Makuta jerked awake to see Ekimu shaking his shoulders. "Ek… Ekimu?" he murmured.

"Good, you're awake," Ekimu sighed in relief. "Makuta, I could hear you all the way from my room. What's wrong?"

"Er—nothing," Makuta said quickly. "A nightmare, that's all."

"Again?" Ekimu gave Makuta a confused look. "Maybe there's a reason for that. Do you know something that could contribute to this? Anything?"

Makuta thought a moment, searching for a likely answer. "Puberty?" he said pathetically.

Ekimu stared at Makuta for many seconds. Then, they both burst out laughing.

"Yes, I guess that would do it," Ekimu said, struggling to regain his composure. "But I'm pretty sure you've already reached adulthood, no?"

"No, I'm still just a little boy who will never grow up," Makuta chuckled, and both of them laughed once more. But the sentence Makuta had said began to reverberate in his mind, along with many other things he had heard. _For someone with the mask of Control, he sure doesn't have much self-control… scared of the dark… pathetic…_ _just a little boy who will never grow up…_

Makuta closed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts that were now screaming the words.

"Well, we've got lots of work to do tomorrow," Ekimu sighed. "Goodnight, Makuta."

"Goodnight, Ekimu."

As Ekimu left for his own bed, Makuta sighed. _I shouldn't have lied,_ he thought guiltily. _I should have told him about my dream… what was it about again? Sand, yes… a beach? Desert?_ _Possible. Some strange beings I had to fight, but what were they? What were those things? Ugh, I don't care._

He sat up. _I think then there were shadows, yes, and then a voice… that voice… not like any voice I've heard… I remember something it said… "You won't forget me…" But I want to forget…_

Makuta looked out of his window. Twin moons shone brightly in double crescents, twinkling like stars. "I'll never be able to sleep," he muttered as he looked out. "Not after that."

With a sigh, he placed his head in his hands, eyes closed. _If only I could control my dreams. Then I wouldn't have to… Wait, hold on a minute._ His eyes opened. _I have the mask of Control, don't I? And if I could command a wall to move, surely I can do_ something _to that voice, can't I?_

Makuta lay down in his bed, wearing his mask this time, closed his eyes, and prepared to dive once more into the mysterious realm of dreams.

* * *

 _The cliff rose imperiously above the sea. Blue waves glistened as they crashed against the cold rocks, which almost seemed to fall down into the deep ravine below._

 _The calm breeze felt soothing as it blew against his armor. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his arms to take in the wind and sea_ _spray._

 _Suddenly, he heard a shuffling sound behind him. He turned around to see Ekimu. Seeing him, he heard him call his name: "Makuta! Take a look at this!"_

 _Makuta smiled, nodded and began to run to Ekimu. But before he could meet his brother, the ground began to shake and crumble. With a loud crack the cliff began to fall away; but Makuta was still on it! Desperately he ran for stable ground and took a giant leap. He managed to grab onto a ledge with one hand. After a moment fruitlessly wasted on a glance downward, he turned back to his brother to cry out for help, but he found he couldn't find even a whisper in himself. Ekimu had turned from Makuta and was walking away._

 _Finally, Makuta found his voice: "Help me, Ekimu!" He saw Ekimu stop and watched him slowly walk towards him. Makuta breathed a sigh of relief. But when he met up with his brother, Ekimu smiled coldly. "B… Brother?" Makuta whispered._

 _Slowly, Ekimu held out a hand. "I'll help you," he said, narrowing his eyes. Makuta reached out for his hand gratefully, but Ekimu quickly pulled it back. "Did I really say I'd help you? A_ _ **weakling**_ _?"_

 _"_ _But you—"_

 _"_ _You must have mish_ _eard,"_ _Ekimu cut off. "What I really said was 'help everyone'!"_

 _And with that, Ekimu kicked Makuta across the face, forcing him to let go of the ledge and fall, down, down, down into the murky_ _depths of the unforgiving sea._

* * *

 _Makuta came to on the ocean floor. He had no idea how long he'd been out. Getting up and looking around, he found he was in some sort of sea temple. There was a stone statue a few meters ahead._

 _Makuta stepped closer to the statue and looked up at the statue's face. It bore a striking resemblance to a skull. He was then reminded of what he had come across in his dream: a skeleton._

 _The moment the thought came into his mind, he turned around to find almost a dozen skeletal creatures lurching towards him. Makuta's eyes widened. But then, he realized, they couldn't hurt him. Not if he didn't want them to._

 _Makuta planted his feet in the silt and allowed rage to enter into him, filling him with power. They dared to threaten him?!_

 _He held up a hand in confidence. A slight tingling feeling told him his mask had activated. Immediately the skeletons glowed with light, and they all froze, still as stone._

 _Carefully, Makuta formed his hand into a fist. "Tear yourselves apart!" he commanded. Almost instantly the skeletons began fighting amongst each other. Some slashed at their new enemies with the swords they possessed; others shot at each other with their bows, eyes blank as they followed Makuta's command. Those not lucky enough to be armed resorted to kicking, punching, biting or even tearing out their own bones to weaponize them._

 _Makuta leaned back against the statue to watch the battle. But as he moved, his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't leaning on a statue._

 _"Not a wise course of action," a familiar voice said. "You know, destroying a potential army."_

 _Makuta jumped back. "You!" he gasped._

 _"Yes, it's me," the figure said. He was a humanoid skeleton, with red-and-black armor. Two gunmetal-gray horns adorned his head, and in his hand was a giant staff divided at one end by three large, black hooks._

 _Makuta managed to push back his shock. "Okay,_ _cut to the chase._ _Who are you, and why do you keep haunting my dreams?"_

 _"_ _ **Keep**_ _haunting your dreams?"The skeleton snorted. "My friend, this is only the second time I've been here. And to answer your first question, my name is Kulta."_

 _Makuta blinked. "My father knew a Kulta once," he thought aloud._

 _"That he did, before he stabbed me in the chest and threw me off a cliff," Kulta replied bluntly._

 _"_ _W_ _hat_ _?!"_

 _Kulta held up both hands in dismissal. "My boy, you take things too literally. We were good friends for a long time. We were inseparable… emphasis on 'were.' See, this beautiful, talented young woman—your mother—entered the picture. Soon, it became less 'Kulta and company,' and more 'Ekuta and Makimu.' Then, after the two of them finally made it official, it felt like he'd thrown me off a cliff by abandoning the friendship we'd shared for so long. And everyone I'd known had never liked me anyway, so I decided to make my little cliff analogy literal." Kulta stretched his arm over his head in mock drama. "And so here I am, forever trapped at the bottom of the sea."_

 _Makuta closed his eyes and shook his head. "Why?" he asked._

 _"Ah, that is a question I ask myself all too often," Kulta sighed. "The only good part about being dead is that I don't have to breathe anymore, which is useful when you're a hundred meters underwater. Speaking of which... how are you holding your breath this long?"_

 _Makuta suddenly realized his lungs were screaming for air. He jumped up and started to swim upwards. He heard Kulta say something, but he couldn't distinguish any words. He could make it if he tried hard enough, right? He had to believe… But no… he couldn't hold his breath much longer… spots were appearing before his eyes… It was too late… too late…_

 _"Too late," beamed Kulta._

* * *

"Too late… too late…" Makuta mumbled.

"I'll say it's too late," Ekimu said, shaking his brother's shoulders. "You've been sleeping in for over an hour! Come on, get up!"

Makuta woke up completely. Scowling, he pushed his brother out of the way and stood up. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he muttered.

Ekimu folded his arms. "Someone's cranky today!"

"Yeah, and he's my brother!" Makuta shot back. Then, he took a deep breath and sighed. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm just tired. Don't take it personally."

Ekimu's expression softened slightly, but he was still frowning. "You've had another dream, haven't you?"

Makuta narrowed his eyes. "So what if I did? Sleeping is the proper time for dreaming."

Exasperated, Ekimu nonetheless suggested, "Don't forget that if they worry you, you can always tell me about them."

 _As if_ _I'll ever do that,_ Makuta thought stubbornly. He turned back to Ekimu and put a hand to his head. "So, Ekimu—may I take a break this morning? I don't feel very well."

Ekimu smiled. "Of course, Makuta. I understand."

 _No, you don't,_ Makuta thought as Ekimu walked out. _And I want it to stay that way._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Makuta forced the back door to open for him—he loved his new power, after all—and walked outside. Looking around, he found everyone working on their own projects and chores, paying him no heed. Usually Makuta would be annoyed at this, being a mask maker and therefore worthy of their respect, but he nodded in satisfaction. This was the perfect time to make a walkabout. To walk away from it all, to concentrate, to meditate… and to think.

Ducking into an alleyway, Makuta crept past a few houses and gardens. As soon as he had gotten past most of the buildings, he made a break for the bridge that kept him separated from the rest of the world. But at the exit, Makuta gave himself a mental slap in the face. He hadn't accounted for the guard.

The Protector of Fire blinked in surprise when he spotted Makuta. "Shouldn't you be back at the forge, Master Makuta?" he asked curiously.

"Actually, Mamuk, I _don't_ have to be there at the moment," Makuta corrected, choosing to take advantage of his rank as a mask maker. "I happen to be taking the morning off."

"The morning off?" Mamuk looked skeptical, but nodded. "Whatever you say. And if I may ask, where are you planning on going?"

 _Does he interrogate everyone like this?_ Makuta thought impatiently. "To the mountains east of here," he said. "There's a camp there, where I plan to stay most of the morning."

The Protector of Fire nodded. "Very well. You may pass."

"Thank you." Makuta started to walk across, then paused. "Could you let Ekimu know I'm going there?" _He gets so paranoid I have to let him know every little step I take,_ he added in his head. "Please," he added aloud, as an unwilling afterthought.

"I shall, Master Makuta," Mamuk replied. Crossing the gate, Makuta shook his head and made his way across the bridge. _Now then, what was that dream about?_ Makuta thought as he walked along the dirt path. _Think I was underwater… no, a cliff. Yes, I was standing on a cliff… when Ekimu did something to me… but what? I remember, I must…_

Shaking his head to clear it, Makuta sat upon a rock and leaned back. He closed his eyes and envisioned himself back on that cliff. He was stretching his arms out to enjoy the breeze, when something caused him to slip. He had grabbed onto the ledge and called for help, and his brother…

The scene in his head collapsed like a pricked balloon as Makuta's eyes snapped open. _That's_ what had happened. Ekimu had pushed him off.

Makuta's face grew hotter. Ekimu, his own brother, hadn't just refused to help him; he had kicked him _off_ the forsaken cliff!

He grabbed his satchel with unnecessary force. He was getting out of this place. But as he stood up, another thought emerged. Something ingenious. Something clever. Something that would turn the entire island against his "brother."

Makuta grinned from beneath his mask of Control.

* * *

"Ah, Makuta! Back so soon?" Ekimu waved at his brother, who was entering.

"Yes, and feeling a lot better," Makuta replied, grinning.

Ekimu was slightly startled at Makuta's smile. "You definitely look better!" he exclaimed. "That is, not that you looked particularly bad before."

"I understand completely," he said mildly, shaking his head. "Anyway, I had an idea, and I was wondering if you could help me with it."

Ekimu seemed puzzled, but nodded. "Sure. What is it you need my help for?"

Makuta closed his eyes. "I just want you to relax."

Ekimu cocked his head. "Right now?"

Makuta's violet eyes opened. "Yes. _Right now."_

Ekimu inhaled sharply as his limbs stiffened and froze in place. Makuta smiled and allowed his mask to radiate further. "Get those villagers," he ordered. Ekimu shakily nodded, then grabbed a torch off the wall and stormed out of the forge.

The first part of Makuta's plan was complete. He sat on a bench. And laughed.

* * *

Ekimu's eyes fluttered open. "Ohh, my head," he groaned, putting a hand to his mask. He looked around, wondering where he was. Then, his eyes widened, and he instantly wished he hadn't looked.

Almost the entire town was holding pitchforks, clubs and other makeshift weapons. Some even had swords or blasters. And they were all pointing at the mask maker.

"What is all this?" Ekimu gasped, quickly raising his arms in surrender.

One villager poked at him with a spear. "You know full well what 'all this' is," the villager hissed.

"No, I—I swear I have no idea what's going—ow!" Ekimu was cut off by another jab with the spear.

"Zip it, mask melter!" another villager spat. "You're trying to trick us!" Other Okotans raised their weapons and roared in agreement. Try as Ekimu did to protest, the villagers only yelled louder.

Ekimu felt he might go deaf if this kept up. Raising his voice over the angry mob, he cried out, "COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

There was a sudden dead silence. The villagers gazed at the mask maker, who was recovering his breath after yelling so loudly.

A young boy, no older than six years old, managed to push under the other villagers. He looked up into Ekimu's eyes with an incredulous look. "You got crazy and hit some people," he said quietly. "You were bad."

Ekimu's eyes widened. "I did _what?"_ The mask maker looked over the crowd and at the clearing he was in. Pillars shot out of the ground haphazardly. An unconscious Okotan lay near a rock. A hut was on fire. Two villagers tried fruitlessly to quench the fire with buckets of water from the well. Toward the valley, he thought he saw a damaged mausoleum. In the distance, smoke rose from the arena.

Ekimu looked at the crowd, who continued to stare. He then said, "Come on now, you know me. I would never do a thing like this. But still, if it makes you feel safer…" He sighed and held his hands forward. "Tie up my wrists, take off my mask; gods, put me in the jailhouse if you feel the need. I hope then you will believe me."

The villagers blinked in surprise. Then, most of them began to put away their weapons. One stone villager stepped forward cautiously with some rope, grabbed the mask maker's wrists, and quickly bound them. "I'm so sorry if you weren't your actual self then," she said quietly. Then she, along with three other Okotans, led Ekimu away.

* * *

Weakly, Ekimu looked up, hearing approaching footsteps. Someone was running toward his cell.

He saw Makuta skid to a stop. His brother looked absolutely horrified. "I came as soon as I could," he gasped. "Ekimu, what happened? People are telling me you went insane and set a house on fire!"

Ekimu managed to sit up. After taking a shaky breath, he said, "I… I am afraid it's true. I don't remember any of it happening—"

"Then they have no proof!" Makuta said desperately. "If you don't remember it, then you didn't do it… right?"

Ekimu shook his maskless head. "I'm afraid they _do_ have proof. The house that was on fire is in ashes now, and the torch was next to me when I became conscious.

"Also, there are pillars sticking out of the ground in random spots. They weren't there last time, and the designs on them are my own. One of the pillars even hit someone." The mask maker sighed. "It only makes sense I should be here."

"But—" Makuta held up a finger to protest, but sighed and put his hand down. "I still don't believe you'd do such a terrible thing," he said, shaking his head.

Ekimu smiled feebly at Makuta's faith in him. "Thank you, brother," he said softly.

Makuta nodded, an inscrutable expression on his face. "Any time. How long will you be here?"

"I honestly don't know," Ekimu sighed, looking at the ground. "Nobody's told me yet. Probably half a year, if I'm lucky."

Makuta's eyes widened. "That long?"

"Afraid s-so…" After he said this, Ekimu's eyes flickered. He fell backwards against the stone wall, sending a loud thudding sound echoing through the area.

Makuta gasped. "Ekimu?!"

Ekimu closed his eyes, putting a hand to his head. "Sorry, Makuta… just that I'm…" He sighed, allowing his arm to limply drop at his side. "I'm so weak…"

"I could make a mask for you," Makuta suggested.

Ekimu looked up to his brother, slightly startled. "You would?"

Makuta smiled. "Of course I would, Ekimu. I'm your brother. I would do anything for you."

"And likewise for you," Ekimu replied. He thought he saw Makuta's eyes light up with entertainment for a moment, but he dismissed it.

Makuta took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, I'm going off to make that mask. Take care, Ekimu."

"I'll try, brother." As Makuta walked off, Ekimu closed his eyes. "I'll try."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

CRANG. CRANG. The sound of Makuta's hammer striking the mask reverberated throughout the forge. Makuta's eyes narrowed in concentration. He was making a mask, and it was going to last.

After a few more well-practiced strikes, Makuta picked up the distorted metal with his tongs. It glowed bright orange. Nodding, he concentrated on moving the very particles of the metal into a specific shape. Slowly, the metal seemed to fold in on itself, to twist its very nature into the shape Makuta desired.

As soon as Makuta relaxed, in front of him stood a perfectly shaped mask. He was tempted to feel its smooth surface with his hand, but he remembered it was still red-hot. "Right," he muttered, reaching for the tongs.

He dunked the metal into a vat of water, making steam shoot out from the water. A satisfying hiss escaped the metal as it rapidly cooled down.

Pulling the newly-formed mask out of the water, Makuta looked over it intently. It had a warm golden color. No major warps or malformations. Good. Sure, there was a small dent on the left side of the mask's crest, but that didn't matter. Ekimu would still be stronger with the mask than without it.

After looking over it one last time, Makuta nodded and put the mask into his satchel. He then walked outside to the forge's courtyard, where he found the gardener hard at work.

"Ah, Lenzo," Makuta greeted him. "What are you doing?"

The groundskeeper jumped slightly at his name being called. "Oh, uh—tryin' to grow some fruit, Master Makuta. The trees ain't very cooperative today, though."

"Uncooperative, you say?" Makuta stroked his chin in thought. "I might be able to help you with that sometime. But not now. Where's Ekimu?"

Lenzo blinked. "Ya didn't hear? This morn he set a hut on fire! Right now he's in—"

"Ah, I remember now," Makuta said, waving a hand. "Sorry, I tend to forget at…untimely moments. Do forgive me."

"No worries," Lenzo replied, looking back at the fruit tree. "Happens to the best of us. Anyway, what did you wanna see Master Ekimu for? Or, uh, can't ya tell me?"

"I figured he would be weak from being maskless for so long," Makuta said. He pulled out the mask from his satchel. "I also figured," he continued as he brushed some dust off the mask, "this mask would help him."

Lenzo nodded, not turning his eyes from the tree. "Yeah, a mask really would help him. Ya know where the jail is, right? Just behind—"

"The coliseum, I know." Makuta frowned, putting the mask back into the bag. "Well, I'll be off, then. Take care."

"Same to you, Master Makuta," Lenzo replied, turning to the mask maker to salute. But Makuta was already out of sight.

* * *

"I'm here," said Makuta as he stopped by Ekimu's cell.

Ekimu's eyes flickered open. His gaze was unfocused. "M… Makuta? Is that you?"

"Of course it is," said Makuta softly. He sat outside the cell and looked down at his brother, who was lying down. For some reason, he found it amusing to see Ekimu, the so-called "best mask maker in a thousand years," barely conscious in a jail cell.

Makuta managed to turn a chuckle into a sigh. "So," he said, "has anyone told you when you'll be out of this place?"

Ekimu's eyes lit up faintly. "Oh yes, the jailer did about an hour ago. He said I'd be free in only two weeks!"

"Curses," Makuta muttered under his breath.

Ekimu blinked in surprise. "Did you just say… 'curses?'"

Makuta realized he'd said his thoughts aloud. He thought quickly. "Yes, I did. Two weeks may be better than half a year—but it's still such a long time, don't you think?"

Ekimu's eyes faded. "True…" He coughed. "Speaking of which, what time is it?"

Makuta thought for a second. "About an hour until sundown. Oh, by the way, I'm finished with that mask!"

Ekimu smiled. "Great. May I see?"

"Of course. You're going to be wearing it for quite a while, after all." Makuta reached into his satchel and retrieved the mask.

Ekimu's eyes lit up as he pulled the mask through the bars. "Amazing! This may be your best mask yet!"

 _In other words, it's mediocre,_ Makuta thought. "Hurry up, put it on!" he said a little too forcefully.

Ekimu looked up in slight surprise at Makuta's harshness, but quickly said, "Of course, of course," and put on the mask. His eyes closed as the pleasure of the mask's energy flooded into his weak body. "Ahh…" he sighed.

Sitting up, he smiled at Makuta. "Thank you so much, brother. How can I ever repay you?"

"By not getting into trouble, perhaps?" Makuta said with a hint of humor in his voice.

"I sure won't try to," joked Ekimu.

"How about you try not to?" Makuta smirked.

"You're starting to sound like me," Ekimu said, throwing his hands in the air in mock exasperation. And they both laughed.

* * *

 _That was fun,_ thought Makuta as he walked out the jail's doors. But he shook his head sharply. _No, it wasn't,_ he told himself. _All I did was carry out the second part of my plan by_ _earning his trust. I've got to complete the rest… but first I need a disguise._

Makuta then took off at a brisk walk. He was energized by how wonderfully his plan was coming along; as such, the forge felt closer than usual.

As he walked in, he uncovered the lightstones, which lit up the room with a warm glow. Makuta looked around for a second, and then found his quarry: a wooden trunk. He remembered he used to play in it with Ekimu when they were children. _I also remember when he locked me into that thing,_ he thought begrudgingly. _All the more reason for him to get what he deserves._

After smashing the lock with his mask—he didn't want to waste any time finding the key—he opened the trunk. There, he found a play-mask, a small metal figurine, a brown cloak— _that will come in handy,_ Makuta thought—and a dull, wooden sword. The green paint on it had faded and chipped away long ago, revealing the greyish brown underneath. Makuta closed his eyes, letting himself remember more clearly the fun he and his brother had had as they played together…

* * *

 _"_ _Hey, Makuta! Bet ya can't get on this thing_ _yourself!"_

 _"_ _Oh, yeah?" Makuta called back to Ekimu. "I bet I can!" He then tried to jump up to the edge of the stone wall, but promptly fell back down._

 _Ekimu giggled from above. "Told ya! Need a hand?"_

 _"_ _No, I can do this!" Makuta said. But try as he might, the boy couldn't get up that wall himself. "Fine," he grumbled, holding out a hand. Ekimu laughed, took it, and pulled his little brother up._

 _"_ _Nice view, huh?" Ekimu said, looking out to the horizon. Then, his eyes lit up. "Hey, Makuta! Wanna race?"_

 _Makuta's eyes lit up as well. "Yeah yeah! Let's race!"_

 _Ekimu grinned. "Okay!" He then began to_ _announce the countdown excruciatingly slowly. "Fiiiive… fouurr… thththree-two-one-GO!" He then took off immediately._

 _"_ _Hey, no fair!" Makuta called, running to catch up with his brother._

 _The two brothers raced across the city wall surprisingly quickly. One of the older villagers smiled to themselves as they dashed past, waving a greeting the boys didn't have time to return before passing. They both seemed evenly matched, until Ekimu ran ahead._

 _"_ _Go slower, Ekimu!_ _"_ _Makuta yelled._

 _Ekimu looked back and laughed. "Try 'n make me!"_

 _"_ _Fine!_ _"_ _After he said this, Makuta managed to run even faster. He tried to ignore the pain from his sore legs. He was going to win this race, whether Ekimu_ _liked it or not._

 _Finally, he caught_ _up to Ekimu. Reaching out an arm, he shoved_ _Ekimu behind him, propelling himself forward at the same time._

 _Startled, Ekimu stumbled and almost fell off the wall. "You cheater!" he shouted._

 _Makuta giggled. "You cheated fir-rst!" he said in a sing-song voice. Ekimu scowled and took off once more._

 _Tensing up his muscles and trying his best to ignore his fatigue, Makuta_ _forced himself to run still faster. But no, he could still hear his brother's footsteps growing louder._

 _"_ _I'm gonna win this!" Ekimu called to Makuta, who jumped at the sound. He hadn't expected Ekimu to be nearly that close._

 _"_ _Wanna bet?" he yelled back._

 _Ekimu grinned. "Yeah! I'm gonna win"—he moved closer to Makuta—"and you"—he put his fists together_ _—"_ _CAN'T STOP ME!"_

 _With that, Ekimu thrust his arms upward and straight into Makuta's chin. Makuta cried out in pain and staggered backwards. He was so stunned he didn't realize where he was about to fall— until it was too late._

 _Time seemed to slow down as he_ _fell from the four-meter-high wall. His_ _last memory_ _before he blacked out_ _was Ekimu screaming his name: "MAKUTA!"_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Makuta's clenched fist was shaking. Sure, that was twenty years ago, maybe more. Ekimu must have long forgotten. But Makuta… he remembered that day like it was yesterday. And he wasn't going to forget any time soon.

Makuta donned the cloak. Though it was old, and had a strange, musty smell, it fit him well and was surprisingly warm. _But this won't disguise me enough,_ he realized. _My mask is a dead giveaway._

Looking around, he found a spare mask. It was a mask of Earth. _The black will camouflage me at night,_ Makuta thought, _but not without some black armor to match._ Luckily, he found some black armor in a nearby bin. After putting it on, he noted the armor was probably supposed to fit an Okotan a little larger than him. _At least I'm not swimming in it,_ he thought to himself. _Besides, it'll disguise me better._

Makuta put his own mask in his satchel. It would still be useful, at any rate—especially if he ran into any trouble.

"Hey!"

Makuta jumped and turned his head. Speak of Karzahni. It was Mamuk, Protector of Fire. The Protector stomped forward and grabbed onto Makuta's arm. "You shouldn't be here," he said sharply. "May I ask why you were looking around in the mask makers' belongings?"

Makuta tried to shake his arm free, but Mamuk's grasp was too hard. " _If_ you must know," he shot back, "I was preparing."

"Preparing." Mamuk looked unconvinced. "Yeah, not buying it. Hand over the satchel."

Makuta blinked. "Excuse me?"

"The satchel," Mamuk repeated more forcefully. _"_ _Now."_

Makuta tensed up, but haltingly took off his satchel with his free hand. Mamuk quickly snatched it and opened it. He took a shuddering gasp as he looked inside. "Makuta's mask?!" In a blink, Mamuk had dropped the bag and grabbed Makuta just below his neck. "What have you done with the mask maker?" he growled, gritting his teeth.

"I—I've done nothing!" Makuta gasped. "I'm Makuta!"

Mamuk let his grip move upwards and around Makuta's throat. "Lies," he hissed. "Blatant. _Lies._ We've already lost one mask maker today. Tell me where Makuta is…"—His iron grip tightened, forcing a choke out of Makuta—"…or face the consequences."

Makuta didn't know what to do. He could scarcely breathe. Black spots were starting to appear in front of his eyes. His mind was reeling. Any longer and he would lose consciousness.

"I'll t-talk!" he finally cried.

Mamuk narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but let go of Makuta, who collapsed to the floor, causing various belongings to fall and shatter. The mask maker took in deep gasps of air, massaging his aching neck with one hand.

By the time he had mostly recovered, Mamuk had pulled out a small cylindrical object. Makuta recognized it as energy cuffs, locking someone's wrists together with pure electricity when a button on it was pushed. With it on, no one could pull their wrists apart or even deactivate it without a special key only the protectors possessed. It was arguably one of the most effective devices of the time.

Mamuk forcefully grabbed Makuta's arms and shoved them behind the latter's back. Putting the energy cuffs in between Makuta's wrists, he pressed the activation button, and Makuta winced as the stinging electricity shot around his wrists. But the pain quickly ebbed.

"You're under arrest for burglary and fraud," Mamuk said, forcing Makuta to his feet. "Pretty sure kidnapping also qualifies. Either way, you're going to the jail."

* * *

Ekimu looked curiously at the mysterious individual who was being brought in by Mamuk. As he watched, he noticed that, although the figure was wearing a cape, there was some light glowing from their back. _Energy cuffs,_ Ekimu thought. _I wonder what happened._

After the figure was put into a cell, Mamuk deactivated the cuffs, shut the door and locked it. He then walked to Ekimu's cell.

"Greetings, Mamuk," Ekimu said in a mellow voice, as if the Protector had walked in on him having a picnic. "I trust things are going well outside?"

Mamuk shook his head. "I found that individual while looking for Master Makuta," he said, jerking a thumb at the caped villager. "He somehow broke into the living quarters of the forge. I confiscated his satchel, and… well, you're not going to be happy with what I found."

Mamuk put the satchel in front of him for Ekimu to see. Then, as the Protector opened the latch, Ekimu gasped. "My brother's mask?!"

Mamuk nodded solemnly. "Yes. I also found various belongings of Makuta's in it, and that, combined with the mask, leads to the conclusion that he somehow kidnapped Makuta, took his belongings and hid him somewhere. He was probably also in the forge so he could look for more items of value. But back on the subject of Makuta; I've sent a search party to find him. Nobody's returned with any news so far, but I will look as hard as I can for him as soon as possible."

"Please do," Ekimu said desperately. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Other than praying, not much, I'm afraid," replied Mamuk. "I wish there was something else you could do, but with you having to stay in here…"

Ekimu nodded. "I understand. May I have his mask for a second?"

"You can look at it," Mamuk said, and held out the mask near the bars. Ekimu looked closely at it. _Oh, Makuta,_ Ekimu thought dolefully. _You told me not to get into trouble; now look at yourself._

"Well," said Mamuk at length, "I'd better go join the search party." He put the mask back in the satchel and sighed. "Like I said, I'll look as hard as I can for your brother, Master Ekimu. Take care, mask maker."

As Mamuk left, Ekimu looked around at the other cells. Other than himself, there were four other Okotans. The one to his left was a middle-aged villager of Stone who Ekimu did not recognize. The side of his mask had been chipped away, revealing part of his face; the bare skin there was badly scarred. The only person who had visited him was a girl who Ekimu assumed was his daughter, seeing as she was so young. Looking back at the prisoner, he could see he was sitting down and staring at the ceiling, clearly lost in thought. There was a strange look in his eye…

Turning his eyes away, Ekimu saw that the second prisoner was a relatively young female villager of Jungle. Ekimu knew who she was. Her name was Kaila, and she was arrested for secretly stealing weapons from the bodies of gladiators and selling them, claiming to be a weaponsmith. She was found guilty and sentenced to a few months in prison. _Apparently "they don't need them anyway" wasn't a good enough argument,_ Ekimu thought with grim humor.

The third one was in the cell across from his. He was a villager of Fire, with a unique mask that looked nothing like the mask a villager would wear. In fact, he himself didn't look at all like an Okotan. He was small, and his arms were abnormally long. His legs were short, and his feet were big and wide. Nobody knew who he was, or why he was in jail. Nobody ever came to visit him. Those who were visiting walked past him as if he didn't even exist. He was just… there.

The fourth and last one was the one who had just been brought in. He was a villager of Earth, and appeared about Ekimu's age and size, albeit a little larger. He also wore a dusty brown cape, which looked familiar to Ekimu somehow. Come to think of it, everything about the prisoner reminded Ekimu of a certain person, though he couldn't put a finger on who it might be.

The villager, who had been staring down at the floor, looked up at Ekimu. Instantly his expression changed to utter hatred. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop staring at me!" he snapped, and turned away.

Ekimu was stunned. He had no idea why—or how—someone could look at him with such rage. He was accustomed to being loved and respected by almost everyone on Okoto. The most negative reaction he had ever received before this was when he had made a tin mask for someone as a prank. But this… he wasn't used to being given such a look of hate, even—no, _especially_ —by a villager.

 _Then again,_ he thought sadly, _what I did earlier today could account for that. And honestly, I don't… I don't_ _blame them for feeling that. It's a perfectly natural reaction to feel angry at someone who… burned a house down. And… and besides, most of the other Okotans know I_ _didn't really mean to do that…_ _right?_ Ekimu soon realized this was not helping.

Looking out of the cell window, he saw some Okotans running through the city, calling Makuta's name. He put a hand to his face. "Why, _why_ did I have to go and get arrested?" he asked himself. He could just as well have been spending this time going with the group, helping them search for his brother. Or maybe if this hadn't happened, maybe Makuta wouldn't have even been kidnapped. Ekimu didn't even know for sure if his brother had even been _kidnapped_. He could be hurt—after all, he didn't have his mask. Or maybe… "Oh, no," Ekimu breathed, as a horrible thought came into his head. Maybe it was far worse than a simple injury.

Ekimu dropped to his knees. "Oh, gods," he whispered. "My brother's gone missing, and nobody knows where he is. I haven't asked anything of you before, but please… I need to know if my brother's well. Please, give me a sign Makuta is at least still alive…"

The caped Okotan sneezed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Makuta sniffled. _That came out of nowhere,_ he thought as he rubbed his nose.

Looking at the other cells, he saw three prisoners other than himself. The only ones he recognized were the scarred Stone Okotan—his name was Hidak—and Ekimu, of course. Makuta noticed his brother was on his knees and folding his hands, as if in prayer. It looked like he had just been startled out of great concentration, looking around now with a surprised, confused expression on his face.

"What, did my sneeze break your meditation?" he said, smirking under his mask, careful to disguise his voice.

Ekimu looked up. "Well," he said quietly, "I don't mean to offend you, of course, but I, er… I believe so."

"No offense taken," Makuta grumbled, and faced away from the mask maker once more. _The conversation is over,_ he thought to himself. _There is no need for any more talk._

"Say," Ekimu began.

 _Oh, for goodness' sake,_ Makuta thought.

"Since we'll be here a while," his brother continued, "there's no harm in getting to know each other, right?"

Makuta turned back to Ekimu with a curious look but said nothing.

"So, what's your name?" Ekimu asked, getting to his feet.

Makuta thought for a second. "Is that information necessary?" He may have imprisoned his brother, but he still didn't want to outright lie.

"I should think so," Ekimu smiled. "Like I said earlier, I want to know you. I haven't seen you on Okoto before." He looked closely at Makuta. "But somehow, you look awfully familiar…"

The more Ekimu looked at him, the more nervous Makuta got. What if he recognized him? "You are making me uncomfor—" he started to say.

"That's it," Ekimu said as he snapped his fingers. "You have the same eyes as my brother."

Makuta tensed. His mind raced through something to say. "Well, I'm flattered," he managed to say. "But, surely Makuta is not an earth Okotan, is he?"

"Good point," Ekimu replied, smiling faintly. "Believe it or not, we were both villagers of Water before we became mask makers."

"Really." Makuta's eyes narrowed. "And might I ask if it's normal for you to tell strangers about your family? Would Makuta like that?"

"Well, the Okotans love it when I tell them more about us," Ekimu said. He sat down. "Telling them about our humble beginnings makes them grow in confidence; it lets them know becoming great isn't just because of luck or destiny. It's because you see an opportunity, and you do something about it. Besides, if Makuta didn't want me talking to the villagers in such a personal fashion, he'd talk to me about it."

Makuta folded his arms. "Are you sure you know your brother as well as you should, Ekimu?"

Ekimu blinked in surprise. "I know Makuta far better than you do," he said, frowning. "There are secrets he's told me I would never share with anyone."

Makuta's expression softened. "Good. So you're not as much the fool that I thought you were."

Ekimu's mouth fell open. "I— excuse me?!"

Makuta stood up and started to pace around his cell. "You set a house on fire," he began, "and you hurt someone by creating a pillar from the ground. That," he said, pointing at Ekimu, "is exploiting the power you have to hurt others. I would never do a thing like that."

Ekimu put on a dull expression. "So you have a mask of power, too?"

Makuta froze. "I…" He thought quickly. "I mean, if I had that mask, obviously. But what I was going to say was, what were you even thinking? Were you angry at your poor, pathetic little brother?"

Ekimu's eyes widened. He bolted up and grabbed the cell bars as if it were the neck he'd have dearly liked to wring right then. "Don't you DARE talk about Makuta that way!" he snapped. "He's anything but pathetic, and he's a hundred times more the Okotan than anyone who says something so _petty_ and _cruel_ about _my_ _ **BROTHER**_ _!"_

Makuta's eyes were wide with shock. Never before had he seen Ekimu so fiercely protective of him. "You… certainly are very protective of him," he murmured, wincing as he realized he hadn't disguised his voice as fully as he'd meant to.

"I certainly…" Ekimu stopped for a second, and a perplexed expression came over his face. "Wait, say that again. I didn't catch that."

"I said you… I…" A tear welled up in Makuta's eye and fell down his cheek. He half-cursed himself for weakness, but there was something else. A strange feeling he had not felt in a long time... regret.

Sighing deeply, Makuta put a hand to the edge of his mask and lifted it from his face.

Ekimu jerked back as though physically struck by the sight of his brother's familiar face under the generic mask: "Makuta?!"

Makuta nodded, rubbing his eye with a hand. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Ekimu. I was just… just so angry at you."

Ekimu tried to smile. "It's fine," he said, struggling to keep his voice stable.

"No, you don't get it," Makuta protested. "I used my mask of Control. I used it—used _you_ —I made you set that hut on fire. _I_ framed you. I got this disguise so I could—I could—Oh, I don't know anymore!" He broke down into tears and thudded to the ground, head in his hands. "Brother, I've...I've been… so _stupid_ …"

Ekimu was still as a statue as Makuta spilled forth the truth at his feet like vomit. He watched his brother for a time as the maskless figure wept openly in the shame of his actions. Time seemed to stop moving, and everything was dead silent but for the retching sobs. Then, the calloused hand of the mask maker reached out through the bars. "Makuta."

His hand found Makuta's, and though the other mask maker tried to jerk away, he refused to release his hold. After a minute's delay, Makuta obliged Ekimu's silent request. He shuffled over to the bars of the cell, and the brothers embraced as close as they were able through the barrier. "Thank the gods I have not lost you altogether, brother."

* * *

"My, I'm glad Mamuk was so understanding," Ekimu smiled, breathing in the fresh outdoor air. He turned to Makuta. "And I must say, you handled the explanation quite well!"

"Mmm," said Makuta, nodding.

"Yeah," Ekimu said quietly, a touch of worry in his voice. Looking at his brother, he noticed Makuta was staring down blankly as he walked. "Hey, Makuta," Ekimu started to say. Upon seeing the exasperated look on Makuta's face as he turned around, he quickly said, "Never mind. You've been through a lot."

"Just say it," Makuta sighed. "After all, I'm not in the mood to talk, so I might as well listen."

"Oh… alright." Ekimu sat on a tree stump and gestured for Makuta to sit. "Makuta, when you found your mask-power a few days ago… Well, I guess I wasn't very supportive."

Makuta snorted in reply but said nothing. He remained standing.

Ekimu sighed, shaking his head. "Right. Well, I wanted to tell you why I was acting that way. Back when we were children—about twenty years ago, I'd say—I challenged you to a—"

"—To a race on the city wall?" Makuta said smoothly, sitting down. "Yes; I remember you pushing me off that wall near the end."

"Well… yes, I did," Ekimu admitted, "but it was an accident, I swear. I'd only meant to slow you down. Err—besides, I was a child back then. These things happen; not to mention children tend to—"

"Would you just get to the point?" interrupted Makuta, losing patience.

Ekimu tensed visibly, but nodded. "Of course, of course. When you fell down, you… you survived, obviously, but, you landed pretty hard. Now, don't take offense in this or anything, since it—"

"Just say it," hissed Makuta through gritted teeth.

"Right. Sorry." Ekimu took a deep breath. "When you landed, you hit your brainstalk rather hard on a rock. After you had recovered, it showed that the injury would…" Ekimu breathed in again, closing his eyes. "Sorry, it's hard for me to say this. The injury would be permanent."

"Permanent?" repeated Makuta. "What are you even talking about?"

"When you hit your brain, I'm afraid it … damaged your mind," Ekimu explained, "doing damage that ended up being more, well, _psychological_ than physical."

Makuta arched an eyebrow. "And this affected me _how_ , exactly?"

Closing his eyes, Ekimu folded his hands and rested them on his lap. "Well, for one, you became… you had a shorter temper after that day. It was harder for you to think things through. But most importantly, you had lost your sense of self-control. But Makuta, that's why you were given the _mask_ of Control—to sort of compensate, even things out. In a way, this gift could be something far better than you'd realized when you first got it!"

Makuta stared at Ekimu incredulously. "Why… why didn't you tell me earlier? Why didn't you tell me I had my _power_ earlier?"

Ekimu sighed. "You were… never meant to know about your power. It was our father's choice, not mine. He was afraid. Afraid that if you found out about your power, you'd not only use it… he was afraid you would exploit it, use people for your own gain. That's why I seemed so… well, negative about your power. But I was wrong! I see that now!"

"So that's it," Makuta said, ignoring Ekimu's last few sentences. "He thought I couldn't be a _good_ little son like you if I knew about my power, so he left me in the dark."

"Makuta…" Ekimu warned, but Makuta cut him off.

"He left me in your shadow so I would be 'safe,' but really?" Anger flashed through Makuta's eyes. "He just wanted me to feel useless."

"That's not what he meant and you know it," Ekimu said, raising his voice. "Father loved both of us, loved _you_ ; no matter how busy he was, he always made that clear. He was trying to help you in the best way he knew how, and while I grant that way might have been… imperfect… he only wanted the best for you. In truth, he… he wanted to help ease you into it, when you were older, but…" His voice trailed off.

"But see how well _that_ turned out," Makuta finished bluntly. "I find it interesting _you_ didn't tell me for him until, I don't know, _12 years after his death._ "

Ekimu flinched, as if Makuta's words had stabbed through his heart.

Makuta stared at Ekimu for a few seconds, as though daring his brother to make a comeback. Then, relaxing, he closed his eyes and looked down. "Sorry," he muttered. "That was uncalled for."

Ekimu bit back a snide retort. "It's alright," he sighed.

"It doesn't sound like it," Makuta replied darkly. He stood up. "It's getting late. I'll be at the forge." Then, he turned and walked away.

A few droplets of water pattered on Ekimu's head. Both mask makers realized the rain would soon pick up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _It was a long walk back to the forge. Rough terrain and cold rain made it harder to keep his feet steady, not to mention a cold wind was picking up. The will to get home was the only thing keeping the figure going. But he wasn't a mask maker—not yet._

 _Makuta realized he had to pick up the pace. Tensing up his muscles and trying his best to ignore his fatigue, he forced himself to run still faster. No, he could still hear his brother's footsteps growing louder… But he soon realized it was not his brother he was racing with. It wasn't even a race._

 _The being caught up with Makuta and roughly shoved him on the back. Losing his footing, Makuta tripped, stumbled and fell face-first into a puddle of mud._

 _As he tried to get back up, a clawed hand grabbed his mask and tore it off. In a blink, all the strength he had was sapped out of him, and he crumpled to the wet ground. Another clawed hand forced him face-up._

 _As soon as Makuta blinked the mud out of his eyes, he gasped as he saw who had knocked him down._

 _"It's been a while, hasn't it?" asked Kulta, cocking his head to one side._

 _Makuta didn't speak. He didn't move. He didn't want to do anything but wake up from this terrible nightmare…_

Makuta's eyes flickered open. He breathed a shuddering sigh of relief before a sudden wave of tiredness washed over his head, forcing him to relax, close his eyes and fall once more.

 _"You're not leaving me that easily!" Kulta laughed, yanking Makuta back into "reality". "Now, what was I going to say? Ah, yes… it was about you."_

 _Makuta froze._

* * *

Finally, Ekimu arrived back home. It was a struggle to close the doors against the cold wind, but after a few tries, he managed to seal them shut. Drying himself off, Ekimu looked behind him to see if Makuta was there. Looking around with no sight of Makuta, Ekimu conceded his brother was asleep. _And even if he isn't,_ he thought, _he probably doesn't want me to disturb him._

Ekimu could still hear the rain falling as he walked down the hall to his room. As he opened the door, he thought he heard a faint moaning sound from Makuta's room. _Looks like I was right,_ he thought, and walked into his own room. He had been meaning to finish that book.

Sitting down on his bed, he found the book and began to read it aloud:

"' _The blazing sun shot its rays downward, shedding its blazing light rays downward upon the city ruins.' …_ Something seems off about that sentence... ' _Not a soul could have survived the blast that, just a few days ago, had run through the city…_ ' run through?"

As Ekimu continued reading, he found he couldn't get himself into the book the way he usually could. A few minutes later, he realized he was becoming so irritable he was actively insulting the author and characters for their choices.

He put the book down, remembering nothing of what it was about. A faint feeling of dread gripped at his stomach, though he had no idea why.

Walking out of his room and toward Makuta's, he found himself becoming more tired. He opened the door and stumbled in clumsily. He looked at Makuta, who was twitching every once in a while, but otherwise looked normal.

Ekimu blinked many times as he relaxed. His eyelids felt insanely heavy; he started swaying on his feet. The last time he had felt this tired was when he was reading a character's death scene in that book. The word _death_ snapped him out of his tiredness.

Ekimu then realized his brother had stopped twitching in his sleep.

Running to his brother's side, the same immense tiredness crept into Ekimu once more. "Makuta," he whispered before collapsing to the floor.

* * *

 _"And this army, Makuta," continued Kulta, "can cause cities, perhaps entire islands, to grovel at our feet… only if you, friend, will aid me in the conquest."_

 _"_ _You've told me all the good parts," Makuta said calmly. "I notice you haven't told me the catches, though. What are the bad points to this deal? Why are you bothering to go to me, anyway? Can't you do it yourself?"_

 _"I could go this alone, yes," Kulta replied. "But while I am fully capable of ordering an army, I must admit I'm not nearly as good at judging what exact orders to give. That's why I want you—to help judge what the right thing to say is, which should be easy for you with an army. I notice you were quite good at explaining things to Mamuk, after all."_

 _"_ _And I notice you're avoiding my question," Makuta replied_ _smoothly, "which brings me to the conclusion you're not telling me the fine print. So, while this is a tempting offer, I must decline."_

 _Mysteriously, Kulta smiled. "I only tell you no drawbacks because I can't think of any, he said simply."_

 _Makuta folded his arms. "It appears you can't think in_ _ **general**_ _, either," he remarked, "seeing as skeletons don't have brains."_

 _"That makes two of us," Kulta grinned._

 _Makuta held back a rather obscene retort. "Either way, I'm still not following you," he said casually._

 _For the first time, Kulta frowned. "I do hope you keep in mind," he said silkily, "that this is my realm. I can go anywhere and do anything I please."_

 _"_ _Oh, anywhere?" dared Makuta._

 _"How else can I be here, and not rotting on the sea floor?" Kulta said. "But I can do more than simply travel. I can do whatever I want to anyone—to you—and you can't do anything about it._ _I suggest you agree to my proposal; unless, that is,"_ _he added as he gingerly brushed a claw against Makuta's mask, "you want to feel the weakness of being unmasked_ _again."_

 _Makuta frowned. "So… you're not giving me a choice?"_

 _"When does anyone have a choice in their dreams?" Kulta asked, beaming._

 _"_ _They have a choice when they know what's going on," Makuta answered, "and I know full well what's happening here. You're trying to trick me into making a shallow promise for power, when_ _actually—"_

 _"No, you misunderstand—" Kulta started to say._

 _"_ _Don't interrupt me!" commanded Makuta, holding out a hand. Immediately Kulta stopped talking. "Good," Makuta smiled. "You're trying to trick me into making a shallow promise for power, when you actually want me to be your servant! Is that it?" Makuta looked expectantly at Kulta. "Well?"_

 _Kulta made muffled sounds._

 _"_ _Right," Makuta said, and his mask stopped glowing. "_ _ **Now**_ _you're going to explain."_

 _"Though some of those facts are admittedly true, you put me in a bad light," Kulta said. "However, there are things you still do not know… and now that you have made it so_ _ **painfully**_ _clear you won't agree to my terms,_ _it makes good sense for it to remain that way."_

 _Without warning, Kulta leaped forward and ripped Makuta's mask off, causing the latter to collapse once more. As the mask fell to the ground with a clink, Kulta kicked it farther away._

 _As Makuta lay on the ground helplessly, taking rasping, forced breaths, Kulta grinned as his three-pronged staff materialized in his hand. "Yes, I want this to be secret," he said. "And if you can't join me, you walking around remembering my secrets simply will not do. And there's only one way I remove memories…" Kulta's staff crackled with red electricity as he raised it over Makuta's back. "I remove them by force!"_

 _Makuta managed to turn his head to the sky. "Kul… ta…" he whispered._

 _"Oh, I almost forgot about last words," Kulta smirked. "What is it?"_

 _"_ _I h-hope…" Makuta smiled as he looked up at the sky. "I hope s-something wonderful f-f-falls upon you…"_

 _"Oh, I can assure you it will," Kulta grinned, raising his staff higher._

 _Suddenly, a golden figure shot down from the sky, crashing down onto the skeleton. As soon as the figure lifted his mighty head, Makuta instantly knew_ _who he was._

 _It was Ekimu. Raising his hammer, he smashed it hard against Kulta's face. Upon impact a loud shattering sou_ _nd echoed throughout the area. T_ _he skeleton's jaw had snapped_ _clear off._

 _Fuming with red smoke, Kulta raised his own staff. Ekimu managed to jump to the side as the staff went down, but not before a glancing blow hit his arm._

 _Ekimu abruptly dropped his hammer and clutched his arm, groaning in pain. Kulta slowly stepped toward the injured mask maker, who cautiously stepped back._

 _Makuta dearly wished he could do something. Ekimu couldn't stand a chance alone. Makuta knew he could hardly move without his mask, but… I can sure talk, he smiled._

 _"_ _Ekimu!" he called as loudly as he could._

 _Eyes wide, Ekimu glanced at Makuta for a second._

 _"_ _Mask, over there!" Makuta cried hoarsely, pointing to where his mask had landed. "Get it here!"_

 _Ekimu nodded. He managed to dodge another blow of the staff and slid between Kulta's legs. He then ran and leaped toward the mask of Control, both arms outstretched. But just as he grabbed it, a clawed hand caught his leg and held him upside-down._

 _"Well, you're a slippery little snail," Kulta chuckled, clutching where his jaw had been. "I don't know where you came from, but what I do—"_

 _"_ _Here!" Ekimu interrupted, throwing the mask of Control like a frisbee. It landed right next to where Makuta was._

 _Not missing a beat, Makuta grabbed it as fast as he was able and fitted it onto his face. He couldn't help but grin as its_ _energy_ _flowed into his once-motionless body. "Round two," he declared, as power coursed through his veins._

 _He charged toward Kulta, grabbing Ekimu's hammer on the way. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time!" he yelled. As he ran toward Kulta, he noticed the skeleton was smiling mysteriously. How is he_ _ **smiling**_ _when his jaw is gone? wondered Makuta. "You won't be smiling soon," he said aloud, filled with confidence._

 _Makuta shut his eyes, raised his hammer and brought it down as hard as he could. He expected to hear the sound of bones breaking. He hadn't expected his brother's screams to accompany it._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Whoa!"

Ekimu jerked awake, breathing hard and fast. Looking around the room with no threats in sight, he sighed deeply. "So it _wasn't_ real."

When he got to his feet, he noticed his chest and arm were sore. As he massaged his arm, he wondered what could have caused it. _I don't recall anything that would make my chest sore,_ he thought. _Actually, I thought it hardly possible._

Ekimu looked around. _Why am I in Makuta's room?_ he wondered. _I know I walked into his room, but… did I nod off while watching him sleep?_

Kulta's shield.

Like a vision, the words pierced his thoughts out of nowhere. They echoed in his mind.

 _Was it from my dream?_ he wondered. As he tried to remember it, he recalled the last moments in a fast blur. Being held from his leg somewhere. _By a skeleton… yes, by Kulta!_ Memories flooded back into him. He was helping Makuta defeat Kulta when he was caught, but he gave Makuta the mask he needed. Then, Makuta charged toward Kulta…

Ekimu slowly shook his head, trying hard to remember. _What happened after that? Kulta brought out a… a shield?_ _But I don't think he was holding a shield… no, he wasn't. But in that case, how could he have a shield?_

His sore chest answered his question.

* * *

 _"Ekimu!"_

 _Throwing the hammer aside, Makuta dropped to his knees, shaking Ekimu's shoulders. "Come on, Ekimu, wake up! Brother! EKIMU!"_

 _Despite Makuta's efforts, Ekimu didn't respond. His eyes were half-closed, and he wasn't breathing. His heart-light glowed fainter, then fizzled out entirely, like hot metal lowered into a vat of cold water._

 _Makuta held his breath, staring with wide eyes. He lifted up his brother's limp hand for a second, then shakily set it down. That's… that's it, he thought. It's over. My brother's… dead. He's not alive anymore. I can't hear his voice again… ever._

 _Makuta looked into Ekimu's eyes as tears welled up in his own. He closed his brother's eyes, and it looked as if he could have been peacefully asleep. But Makuta knew this fantasy couldn't be true._

 _Ekimu was dead, and it was Makuta's fault._

 _Makuta held his brother's body close, hoping he would never let go. "E-kimu," he croaked, before breaking down into quiet sobs. The world was falling apart around him, and it was his doing. He had made his brother's life so difficult already… and now he had killed him. He couldn't apologize for what he'd done, **anything** he'd done. Ekimu would never know how sorry Makuta was. He would never know the secrets he'd been keeping from him. He would know nothing ever again._

 _"What a nice funeral," Kulta said sarcastically._

 _In response, Makuta swept his legs into Kulta's, grabbed him and threw him to the ground in one smooth motion. "My brother is DEAD!" he cried. "I should kill you right here and now."_

 _"Of course he's dead," chided Kulta. "If he_ _weren't_ _, I wouldn't say funeral, would I?"_

 _Makuta replied with a punch into Kulta's skull._

 _"You do know I can't feel that," Kulta replied, his head fractured. "I'm dead." Then, his eyes lit up. "Yes, I'm dead, but I can still walk and talk like you. I can resurrect your brother, you know."_

 _"Do it," ordered Makuta. But then, he thought for a second. "Hang on, no. No, you're trying to trick me again!" He punched Kulta again. "I'm not letting you get to me like_ _ **that**_ _again! You're not going to trick_ _ **anyone**_ _again when I'm through with you!"_

 _"Go ahead, by all means, Kulta replied. Go ahead and prove you're just as evil as you think I am._

 _Makuta pulled back his fist, then paused for a second. Every part of him wanted to kill Kulta, but something tugged at his mind. There might have been some truth to his words…_

 _Kulta took advantage of Makuta's hesitation. Thrusting his legs upward, he kicked Makuta high into the air, rolling out of the way as Makuta crashed onto the rocky ground with a sickening crunch._

 _Makuta screamed as pain shot through his body. It was as if every fiber of his being were on fire, fire no amount of rain could quench. He wanted to stay on the cold, wet rocks until he fell unconscious, or perhaps even until Kulta killed him. There was an idea, Makuta thought. Only a short moment of pain, and then it would be over. Then he could meet his brother again. He wouldn't have to worry about a thing…_

 _But no, something seemed wrong about that. Just because someone's dead doesn't mean you should join them as soon as possible, Makuta realized. I may have killed my brother, but that was what Kulta wanted… "I won't miss this time. I won't fall for his tricks anymore. I will defeat Kulta, for Ekimu's memory… and for my own sanity."_

 _Makuta_ _got up to his hand_ _s_ _and knees_ _, then abruptly recoiled as a short cry of pain escaped him. "_ _I will defeat Kulta," he repeated. He continued to tell himself those four words as he moved again._

 _"I will defeat Kulta."_

 _He staggered to his feet, ignoring the burning pain in his ribs._

 _"I will defeat Kulta."_

 _Stumbling forward, he grabbed Kulta's staff._

 _"I WILL DEFEAT KULTA."_

 _He_ _yanked_ _on the staff with surprising force, even while Kulta tried to shake him off. Sheer determination kept Makuta going,_ _making him forget the pain_ _. Pushing back against Kulta, he managed to pry the staff from_ _his enemy's_ _hands. Without hesitation he smacked it against the ground,_ _causing a small crack to appear._

 _Kulta's voice was all sarcasm. "And how exactly will hitting the ground with a stick defeat me, little worm?" But Makuta saw his foe's eyes widen, belying his words._

 _"_ _I know exactly what I'm doing,_ _"_ _Makuta replied, and_ _drove_ _it into the ground once more. The rod of the staff shattered into splinters, and the three-pronged hook clanged to the ground. Immediately it rusted brown and seemed to melt into the cracks_ _of the cobblestone floor_ _._

 _Kulta screamed in agony and collapse_ _d_ _to the ground, dissolving into dust as he fell. The dust blew away in the wind, which_ _quickly_ _bec_ _a_ _me a mere breeze that_ _seemed to whistle that same_ _scream_ _._

 _Makuta noticed the rain had stopped and_ _the_ _sun had begun to shine_ _through_ _the clouds_ _. He also_ _remembered_ _his ribs were broken._

 _Closing his eyes, Makuta_ _collapsed_ _to his knees._ _Sure, he was in pain, but_ _he wasn't sad_ _or_ _afraid._ _In fact, h_ _e hadn't recalled feeling so peaceful_ _in his life_ _._ _He felt that, in the end, everything would turn out just fine._

 _Sighing, he lay down and looked up._ _B_ _irds chatted cheerily in their own little language. Two planets had risen up above the_ _thinning_ _white clouds._ _The smaller of the two was a light violet, almost blue color, while the larger one was a beautiful shade of green with rings._

 _Beautiful…_

 _Makuta had never_ _dwel_ _t_ _on_ _the thought of beauty_ _before._ _He was always too busy._ _No—honestly. But even when he wasn't busy, he_ _hadn't bothered to think about it._ _But now…_ _he realized_ _everything around him was beautiful. The sky, the birds, the_ _trees_ _…_ _the gods had created them all to be beautiful. Even the rocks Makuta lay upon were created to be beautiful._

 _Makuta smiled, enlightened at just how amazing the world truly was._

 _The pain finally ceased._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ekimu was whistling. He had long since given up attempting to wake Makuta; even pouring cold water on him hadn't worked. He had eventually decided to simply wait nearby until Makuta woke up, and he had found the best way to pass time was making bird sounds. He found it calming; and besides, anything was better than reading _that book_.

Ekimu abruptly stopped as he saw Makuta shift about in his bed. He hurried to Makuta's side. "Makuta?" he said hopefully. "Are you awake?"

Slowly, Makuta's eyes opened. "Am I… dead?" he replied.

Ekimu smiled. "No, Makuta. You're alive and well."

"But you…?" Makuta sat up. "You're dead. I know it, I saw your body, crushed, I held your hand, there was no pulse, I…" He rubbed his eyes. "…I killed you."

"That was a dream," Ekimu said softly. "Don't worry, you're awake now. Everything's…" He stopped as Makuta slowly slumped down.

"You were dead," Makuta said quietly.

Ekimu was moved with pity. "But Makuta, it's all right now," he said, smiling warmly. "Both of us are alive."

Makuta stared at Ekimu incredulously. "Don't you hate me?" he asked.

"What?" The older brother gave Makuta a confused look. "Of course not. Why would I?"

"I killed you," Makuta pressed on. "I know it was a dream, but I still killed you; with your own hammer, no less. Why are you… always so nice to me, after everything I do? I hurt people, I break promises—I even lie to you. You don't deserve a brother like this."

"Don't say that." Ekimu put a hand on Makuta's shoulder. "Though you do have flaws, so do I—Karzahnii, everyone has flaws! But you fix those flaws in me, just as I try to fix yours. You remind me to think of others, rather than myself or popularity. Without you, I… Well, I wouldn't be myself."

"No, you fix your flaws by yourself," Makuta protested. "You're making masks for _others_ , aren't you?"

Ekimu sighed; Makuta wasn't getting the point. He then said, "Makuta, do you remember that time in the jail?"

"How could I forget that sewer?" Makuta said acidly.

Ekimu nodded. "But do you remember while you were in that disguise, when I had defended you?"

Makuta said nothing but nodded in reply.

"I wouldn't do that for any Okotan," Ekimu urged, squeezing his brother's shoulder. "I wouldn't do it for anyone, except one person." He smiled as Makuta looked up at him. "And he is you, Makuta. I love you, my brother. And no matter what happens, no matter what you think or do… nothing can ever change that."

"Nothing…?" Makuta repeated.

"Nothing," Ekimu promised.

Makuta almost held his breath in fear, waiting for a sarcastic voice, a sudden cold rain, evidence that Kulta was still there, listening, waiting.

But there was nothing. Just silence. And peace.

 **The End**


End file.
